Immunogenicity and safety of a monovalent vaccine for the 2009 pandemic influenza virus A (H1N1) in children and adolescents

The 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) has caused significant morbidity and mortality around the world. Safety and immunogenicity studies of 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) virus in children and adolescents are limited. In this prospective, open-label study, 2 doses of a monovalent, unadjuvanted, inactivated, split-virus 2009 pandemic influenza virus A (H1N1) vaccine (AdimFlu-S) were administered to 183 healthy children and adolescents aged 1–17 years. Adverse reactions were assessed, and hemagglutination inhibition antibody titers were determined. Three weeks after the first dose, 36.2% of children aged 1–2 years, 52.5% of children aged 3–5 years, 56.7% of children aged 6–9 years, and 90.3% of adolescents aged 10–17 years generated protective antibodies. A second vaccination given 3 weeks later induced protective antibodies in 89.4% of all age groups. No severe adverse effects were found 6 weeks after vaccination.